Tennessee has lost out on a considerable amount of federal funding because of its weak Driving and Texting Laws. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has determined that Tennessee will not get hundreds of thousands of dollars reserved for only those states meeting certain specifications in their texting while driving laws. Congress provided strict standards in determining which states would receive the federal grant money. Tennessee does not meet the specifications set forth by Congress because it has narrowly defined texting while driving and the penalty for violating the law does not increase for repeat offenders.
The current law which was passed in 2009 bans sending or reading electronic messages only while the vehicle is in motion. However, to qualify for the grant, the state law must make it illegal to send or read electronic messages regardless of whether the car is in motion or not. In addition, the current fine for texting while driving in Tennessee is $50 without an increase for repeat offenders.
Although there are mixed feeling about a state receiving federal funds, there should not be any mixed feelings on whether our law on distracted driving need to be improved and enforced.
Our office has handle catastrophic car accident claims for years. When we first started these cases we would see the horrible impact of drunk drivers. Although we still see those cases the devastating impact of driving and texting has become much more common. Recently, I was interviewed about this trend. You can watch the interview below:
If you or a loved one has been the victim of a distracted driver, please call one of our Nashville automobile accident lawyers today.